Amtrak dining and cafe service

[Ziv]

I have a friend who was the director of an MBA program at a large DC university. At least once a year I used to tell her that I believed that MBA's knew the cost of everything down to the penny but they hadn't a clue about what value anything had that wasn't completely monetized. I told her that customer satisfaction and a corporations reputation are much more difficult to measure and just how much they impact your future bottom line is much more difficult to quantify. She laughed at my comment for years. She basically said they had an app for that, before there were apps for anything, mind you. I think her comment usually sounded something like, "We train them to look at the big picture."
Then a couple years ago we had the same discussion and her eyes popped wide open and she said that there had been a lot of discussion in her field that year about how MBA programs were discouraging the valuation of "intangibles" that are in fact very important. I was shaking my head because it isn't an "intangible", it just isn't a direct dollars and cents equation. But MBA's are a large part of why American corporations have lost both their direction and their soul.

This is not just Amtrak.....

 

[jis]

Then a couple years ago we had the same discussion and her eyes popped wide open and she said that there had been a lot of discussion in her field that year about how MBA programs were discouraging the valuation of "intangibles" that are in fact very important. I was shaking my head because it isn't an "intangible", it just isn't a direct dollars and cents equation. But MBA's are a large part of why American corporations have lost both their direction and their soul.

What is worse is that no amount of federal trillions and tinkering with taxes and duties will fix the problem. Teaching MBAs to handle non-quantifiable factors in decision making in a meaningful way is what will fix it, and that training is way more difficult than teaching how to write spreadsheet cell formulae. Indeed, it is likely that most MBA faculty have no clue either since they have zero experience actually dealing with such thing either. This makes the situation even more bleak. The pandemic has to some extent forced the issue upon everyone. We'll see how things come out of it.

 

[PVD]

With the air conditioning itself powered by steam in some cases, with steam ejector air conditioning still in use after steam engines themselves were gone.

Try and explain absorption chilling to a group of people who have never seen it (or don't know they did) In Manhattan, there are huge buildings with absorption chillers running off Con Ed steam. And many CHP projects are tri gen, using the heat to supply absorption ac in the appropriate season.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Fifty years ago I took a very progressive course in Systems Theory and it was simply looking at “something” as a system with inputs that are predictable and unpredictable with outputs that are predictable and unpredictable. An example is Earth’s Climate Change. It was a very popular course and offered by the Industrial. Engineering Department at University of Bufffalo and now called the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering - haha..

 

[neroden]

Yeah, this MBA issue is huge, and we've been talking about it since the 1980s. Sigh. My Dad explained that the MBA program was originally (1950s-era) ONLY for people who had already had substantial management experience in the industry they were working in -- you were supposed to know your industry FIRST -- and when they started letting in ignoramuses straight out of college, who never bothered to learn their industry, the MBA programs started producing trash managers.

 

[user 14106]

Coast starlight business can now get access to the diner. They are not pricing the menu as before - they are charging a fixed rate for each meal $20 breakfast, $25 lunch $45 dinner. The $45 dinner includes the “first beverage on Amtrak” like is offered in the sleepers.

 

[Skylark]

I'm just trying to plan ahead (traditional dining). Will be in a roomette so I get some meals. I'm seeing that all the lunch options sound great, but nothing appeals to me for dinner (or vice versa). Can you request a lunch entree at dinner if the train runs for both meal times? I get this would depend on stock, etc. And may be dependant on the individual crew member. My understanding is it's heat and serve so hopefully wouldn't require a change prep wise?

I will be bringing my own munchies along, just trying to decide how much. It's been awhile since I've traveled - but there would be no way to heat up something like a bagel, right?

I get things are extra crazy right now.

 

[ReadingCrusader]

Rode CZ recently. They played pop music in the dining car. I hated it. How do you feel about it? Should there be music? And if you think so, who decides what music?

 

[Cal]

Rode CZ recently. They played pop music in the dining car. I hated it. How do you feel about it? Should there be music? And if you think so, who decides what music?

My LSA played trendy music, it was eh. I think some nice, instrumental background music would be nice.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

As a music lover, I always have something going in my head - I don't need someone else's choice of music competing with it.

 

[Railspike]

The sound of the train is the best music. No other needed!

 

[user 14106]

On another note with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill last night - Amtrak is reauthorized thru FY26 - and the Mica mandate is officially dead with the new language.

 

[jis]

On another note with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill last night - Amtrak is reauthorized thru FY26 - and the Mica mandate is officially dead with the new language.

For details see

https://railpassengers.org/happening-now/news/blog/iija-victory-letter/
Not only is Mica dead, the fundamental Goals of Amtrak have been amended to make it more service focused, and the structure of its Board has been amended to ensure that crony lampposts stay away from it, or at least they represented lampposts from specific areas with a specific purpose.

 

[joelkfla]

I'm just trying to plan ahead (traditional dining). Will be in a roomette so I get some meals. I'm seeing that all the lunch options sound great, but nothing appeals to me for dinner (or vice versa). Can you request a lunch entree at dinner if the train runs for both meal times? I get this would depend on stock, etc. And may be dependant on the individual crew member. My understanding is it's heat and serve so hopefully wouldn't require a change prep wise?

I will be bringing my own munchies along, just trying to decide how much. It's been awhile since I've traveled - but there would be no way to heat up something like a bagel, right?

I get things are extra crazy right now.

I have no personal experience, but the menu says you can (although the grammar is backwards):

 

[joelkfla]

Just got back from a FL-NY round trip on the Meteor, featuring(?) Flex Dining.

Thumbs up on the Salmon, Enchilada, and French Toast.

Chicken ala Rosa -- ok in a pinch, but I wouldn't order it again unless I were on a multi-night trip and got tired of the salmon.

Table syrup was served with French Toast in both directions. Tabasco was available northbound (I didn't ask southbound.) Warm roll with butter included in both dinners (can't remember about lunch.) No salads southbound; SCA said they were received frozen so they were discarded. Northbound salad included choice of ranch or Italian dressing.

Moynihan Lounge at NYP had excellent pre-packaged salad, nice little sandwiches & roll-ups, high-end bottled soda, good coffee, and a good selection of snacks and pre-packaged pound cake slices.

ETA: Forgot to mention: dining car was nearly empty. Most I saw was about 4 tables occupied at a breakfast. I noticed a fairly steady stream of SCA'S carrying food out, and one passenger picking up and carrying out his own food. I wandered into the Cafe car just for a peek, and there was a prettty good-sized line.

 

[me_little_me]

On our ride from Grand Junction to Chicago on this Thursday, an hour or so before lunch outside of GJ, the LSA made an announcement about meals in the diner. I am hard of hearing but basically what he said was that lunch would be open seating and dinner would need reservations. He stated he would be coming around before dinner and take reservations. He seemed to then address coach passengers saying that the diner was only for sleeper passengers and that there were no prices on the menu because meals were included in the sleeper fare so there was no way to charge coach passengers for meals. He then followed up by mentioning that dinner and lunch included dessert and that dinner also included an appetizer and alcoholic drink. This was not news to me until what followed. I'd swear that he also added that gratuities were also included with the meal. I quickly turned to my wife and asked her if she heard that but she was not paying attention to the announcement so could not be sure exactly what was said.

I've never heard a meal announcement that ever even mentioned the word "gratuities" on Amtrak. I still tipped as usual at meal times but I am wondering if this is something new.

I was reluctant to asking him at mealtime to repeat what he said but if anyone has recently heard of such an announcement or any announcement on gratuities for meals onboard, I would love to know for sure. Possibly someone with more nerve than I could ask their LSA about it but my guess is that their answer would be vague both because the crew would not want to lose this extra money and because they might not agree even if this is the new Amtrak policy.

BTW, the LSA was the most consistent when announcing meal times, took down names of passengers when there was no room temporarily at breakfast and lunch, then called them over the PA by name when their table was ready, made excellent and proper announcements telling passengers that the next seating (for dinner) was available) or reminding them that seating was available for breakfast and lunch, and telling them when the last call was being made. I watched him closely at meals and he was one of the most efficient servers I have seen in ANY restaurant, yet still had time to chat for a few moments with passengers. Highly professional in my estimation and the perfect Amtrak LSA in the dining room.

 

[OBS]

He undoubtedly said "gratuities are not included in the meal". There is NO doubt in my mind.....

 

[AmtrakBlue]

He undoubtedly said "gratuities are not included in the meal". There is NO doubt in my mind.....

That's more likely since some people don't seem to know about tipping. (I don't want to say "know to tip" because tipping is not a requirement)

 

[BlackDiamond]

I remember as a college student the first time I ever ate in a diner, this would have been pre Amtrak on the Penn Central and I asked if it was OK to leave a tip and got a laugh out of the waiter.

 

[Willbridge]

For details see

https://railpassengers.org/happening-now/news/blog/iija-victory-letter/
Not only is Mica dead, the fundamental Goals of Amtrak have been amended to make it more service focused, and the structure of its Board has been amended to ensure that crony lampposts stay away from it, or at least they represented lampposts from specific areas with a specific purpose.

You make a good point about there being two kinds of lampposts. During my time at Oregon DOT I ran across many people who were appointed to commissions by the governor. They were politically acceptable to the governor and his team but they were expected to represent various interests effectively. In turn, we staff learned from them and sometimes educated them, too.

The second governor in my time there did not make such good appointments and I was one of several people who left for other opportunities. At my going-away party the card from my colleagues read "Congratulations!" It turned out that a number of them were at least weighing their options. I think that one of the things that school children need to learn is how important the appointments made by a governing executive can become.

 

[ehbowen]

Try and explain absorption chilling to a group of people who have never seen it (or don't know they did) In Manhattan, there are huge buildings with absorption chillers running off Con Ed steam. And many CHP projects are tri gen, using the heat to supply absorption ac in the appropriate season.

I understand that the Houston Astrodome was originally built with gas fired absorption chillers, natural gas then (1960s) being both plentiful and cheap in Texas. There's still a very prominent exhaust stack visible on the east side of the building (funnel-shaped object at roof line visible above the cooling tower):

 

[neroden]

Coast starlight business can now get access to the diner. They are not pricing the menu as before - they are charging a fixed rate for each meal $20 breakfast, $25 lunch $45 dinner. The $45 dinner includes the “first beverage on Amtrak” like is offered in the sleepers.

For reference, based on what I've been told, this sort of fixed pricing avoids a bunch of still-remaining legal issues related to the laws regulating Amtrak food service. It should also simplify the process of pre-ordering and buying meal tickets in advance.

 

[neroden]

On another note with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill last night - Amtrak is reauthorized thru FY26 - and the Mica mandate is officially dead with the new language.

And Amtrak has an official new mission statement. It's better. It was written by Rail Passengers Association, basically.

 

[Skylark]

I have no personal experience, but the menu says you can (although the grammar is backwards):
View attachment 25374

Not sure how I missed that - thank you! Now I won't feel silly asking. Nice to have that option as I tend to prefer a lighter meal before bed also.

 

[joelkfla]

And many CHP projects are tri gen, using the heat to supply absorption ac in the appropriate season.

California Highway Patrol?